1. Field of the invention
This invention refers to long life pasta shapes suitable to be preserved for along period of time and which are ready to serve after heating, as a quick meal. In particular, this invention refers to shapes made from fresh or dry alimentary pasta, alimentary egg paste or rice, the pasta or rice are cooked with or without sauce, pre-shaped into single or multiple portions and stored in sealed or non-sealed packs.
2. Description of the prior art
In almost all the countries marked by rapid expansion, both from the point of view of dynamic economic growth, and from the point of view of expansion of tourism and intercultural relations in general, the rhythm of daily life is becoming increasingly more hectic.
In particular, due to very tight traveling schedules required by work, trips organized by tourist agencies and frequent journeys made by the younger populations eager to travel and to see the world keeping expenses as low as possible, the need has arisen for quick, light meals at low prices in a restaurant. In these restaurants, which are now given the name of sandwich bars, "fast food", or even pubs, these meals which are usually eaten at the counter, consist mainly of rolls variously filled with dressed pork products, sandwiches and toasted sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, small pizzas or slices of pizza, savoury pastries, and so on.
Even though these meals give a sufficient number of calories for satisfactory nutrition, they nevertheless have a substantial drawback: with respect to current dietetic studies, they represent diets in which the basic ingredients consist of meat, vegetables, eggs and, in any case, foodstuffs which normally form part of the components of second courses in the known Mediterranean diet.
The basic dish of the Mediterranean diet, which consists of a first course based on pasta is, in fact, missing from the aforesaid diets.